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College of the Ozarks in Missouri isn’t technically a military academy, but that isn’t stopping it from requiring its students to be good patriots. All freshmen will be required to take a course entitled “Patriotic Education and Fitness,” which covers everything from learning to respect the flag to marksmanship.

The university, a private Christian liberal arts school, is a small institution nestled in the scenic hills of rural Point Lookout. In the 2017-18 school year, it welcomed only 280 freshmen, but President Jerry Davis made the school’s mission clear during his convocation to the students, saying in prayer, “Today we acknowledge those standing before us for the idea that one day, they’ll assume positions of leadership that our country very much needs.”

Davis told the Springfield News-Leader that the course is aimed at correcting astray youth, explaining, “If we don’t pay attention to this type of education, there is a danger that within a few generations, we’ll have a population that doesn’t understand its own county or believe that anything is worth fighting for.”

On Monday, the school held an event to introduce the new course, during which retired USMC General Terrence Dake, who sits on the board of trustees, stated, “I really think that if you give a person the tools of an education, the patriotic yearnings inside of themselves and the leadership tools that can be taught, they will be leaders,” The Kansas City Star reports. And at College of the Ozarks, patriotism is more than a yearning — in September, the university announced that it won’t even compete athletically against teams who do not stand during the national anthem.

“Patriotic Education and Fitness” is a military science course, according to the university’s catalog. The official description claims that it’s “designed to support the College’s patriotic mission by encouraging an understanding of American heritage, civic responsibilities, love of country and willingness to defend it.”

Via Twitter early Thursday, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding if “UC Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view.”

“If UC Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view -- NO FEDERAL FUNDS?” he wrote.

If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017

The riots Wednesday forced university officials to cancel the speech by Yiannopoulos, who was set to appear as part of a book tour. A self-proclaimed internet troll, Yiannopoulos is also an editor at Breitbart News, the far-right website previously under the leadership of Stephen Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist, who has played a key role in many of the executive orders issued during Trump’s first two weeks in office.

Berkeley is the flagship campus of the public University of California system. It received $370 million in federal research funding for the 2015-16 school year, according to the university’s website. It has been known as the home of the Free Speech Movement since the turbulent 1960s.

Yiannopoulos said the protests against his speech at the school were “ironic and sad” and called university students and personnel “no friends to free speech any more.”

School officials canceled the speech after demonstrators threw smoke bombs and flares at buildings. The protests grew violent, with some using baseball bats to smash ATMs. At a nearby Walgreens, demonstrators spray-painted the building with messages including “Kill Fascists” and “Kill Trump.”

The Daily Californian put together our reporters' tweets from the events on campus and throughout the city. https://t.co/Lu2sOcZ1Yc pic.twitter.com/oR9Yd3KeoZ— Daily Californian (@dailycal) February 2, 2017

UC Berkeley released the following statement:

“Amid violence, destruction of property and out of concern for public safety, the University of California Police Department determined that it was necessary to remove Milo Yiannopoulos from the campus and to cancel tonight’s scheduled 8 p.m. performance. “The decision was made at about 6 p.m., two hours before the event, and officers read several dispersal announcements to the crowd of more than 1,500 protesters that had gathered outside of the Martin Luther King Jr. ASUC venue. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence and unlawful behavior that was on display and deeply regret that those tactics will now overshadow the efforts to engage in legitimate and lawful protest against the performer’s presence and perspectives.”

Protests against Trump’s policies, including last Saturday’s massive turnout at airports in multiple major U.S. cities to decry the administration’s immigration ban, have mostly been peaceful. Yiannopoulos said on Facebook of Wednesday’s violence that “the Left is absolutely terrified of free speech and will do literally anything to shut it down.”

“It turns out that the progressive left, the social justice left, the feminist, Black Lives Matter ... the hard left, which has become so utterly anti free speech in the last few years, has taken a turn post Trump's election, where they simply will not allow any speaker on campus ... to have their voice heard,” Yiannopoulos said. “They won't allow students to listen to different points of view ... The fact that on an American college campus -- a place of higher education, a place of learning in America, which I've come to as a visitor from the United Kingdom, where we don't have a First Amendment, hoping that this would be somewhere where you could be, do say anything, where you could express your views, express your opinions ... free from violent responses to political ideas, I thought America was the one place where that could be possible.”

I was just evacuated from UC Berkeley.Posted by Milo Yiannopoulos on Wednesday, February 1, 2017

The university's president, Jerry Falwell, announced the plans Tuesday after the county unanimously approved the proposal. The gun range will sit on a 500-acre plot of campus land and will include a pistol range, three rifle ranges, a police shoot house and skeet and trap shooting.

"We have a mountain on campus, and we thought we'd use it for recreation," Falwell said. "We've been able to avoid a lot of the sexual assault problems that you see at a lot of universities by giving students positive alternatives to keep them busy and to keep them entertained. The shooting range will be part of that."

The gun range won't only be for students at Liberty University but will also be open to members of the community and law enforcement.

The range will be the first National Rifle Association-supported gun range at an American university and the first NCAA-certified outdoor shooting range that can be used for all Olympic shooting sports, according to the university's proposal.

The Texas college alum joined student volunteers in the SURE Walk program to give those staying late on campus some company on their way home. SURE stands for Students United for Rape Elimination.

The Student Government program at the university offers Longhorns who don't want to walk home alone a male and female companion to walk with. Since its inception, the program has expanded with the help of various other student organizations to multiple locations across the 40 acres and even acquired some wheels to transport students faster.

The school posted a photo of McConaughey driving some students back to their residences.

"Longhorns take care of each other, and it's 'safe' to say Matthew McConaughey agrees," a post of Facebook reads. "Don't forget to use SURE Walk when traveling home late at night; you never know who might pick you up."

SURE Walk operates from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Sunday. SURE Walkers can be requested by phone or email.

Longhorns take care of each other, and it's 'safe' to say Matthew McConaughey agrees. Don't forget to use SURE Walk when traveling home late at night; you never know who might pick you up! #BeSafe #SafeChatsPosted by The University of Texas Student Government on Monday, November 28, 2016

Suffolk University senior Tiffany Martínez wrote about her experience in a blog post titled "Academia, Love Me Back" on Thursday. She wrote that the professor "challenged (her) intelligence" in front of other students in her class.

"This morning, my professor handed me back a paper (a literature review) in front of my entire class and exclaimed 'this is not your language,'" Martínez wrote. "On the top of the page (she) wrote in blue ink: 'Please go back and indicate where you cut and paste.' ... They assumed that the work I turned in was not my own ... On the second page the professor circled the word 'hence' and wrote in between the typed lines 'This is not your word.'"

I was hurt badly this morning and publicly humiliated in front of my peers by a professor. They assumed I plagiarized my...Posted by Tiffany Corin Martínez on Thursday, October 27, 2016

Martínez told Buzzfeed News that the professor "spoke loudly enough that students at the back of the room heard and asked if (she) was OK after class."

"I spent the rest of the class going back through every single line, every single citation to make sure that nothing had been plagiarized, even though I knew I hadn't," she told Buzzfeed.

Martínez, a Latina with aspirations of earning a Ph.D and becoming a college professor, wrote that she has battled stereotypes throughout her academic career. She discussed the disappointment she has felt with consistent assumptions that she is "weak, unintelligent and incapable."

"As a minority in my classrooms, I continuously hear my peers and professors use language that both covertly and overtly oppresses the communities I belong to," she wrote. "In the journey to become a successful student, I swallow the 'momentary' pain from these interactions and set my emotions aside so I can function productively as a student."

After Martínez's post gained attention online, Suffolk University president Marisa Kelly released a statement saying the school "must redouble efforts to create a more inclusive environment."

"Suffolk University is committed to making every member of our community feel welcomed, valued and respected," Kelly wrote. "I take (Martínez's) concern seriously on behalf of the institution as the acting president, and I take it seriously as an individual personally committed to diversity and inclusion."

Kelly also announced that faculty members will go through mandatory microagression training sessions on how to better interact with students.

In her Momentum blog, Acting President Marisa Kelly addresses the University's commitment to making every member of our...Posted by Suffolk University on Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Jordin Phipps proudly sported a University of North Texas T-shirt while talking to the camera as her mother recorded her.

"(I'm going to) start my day in a positive way," Phipps said. "I will be respectful with the words I say. I will pay attention, and I will do my best, and I will study hard for every test."

The motivational pep talk was a presentation of a daily message that Phipps and her classmates at Watson Technology Center in Garland, Texas, recite at school.

"I will take advantage of what my teachers have to give. I will become a productive citizen in this world," Phipps said. "I am smart. I am a leader. Failure is not an option for me. Success is only moments away. I have the attitude of a North Texas eagle."

After seeing the video, UNT officials surprised Phipps at an assembly at her school and awarded her a $10,000 Presidential Excellence award, which is normally given to high school seniors. She was also guaranteed a spot in UNT's class of 2030.

Phipps' mother, Nichole Smith, is a University of North Texas alumna.

MEAN GREEN PRIDE: 8-year-old Jordin is our new favorite person. Her mom just sent us this adorable and inspiring video of her. We can't wait to have her on campus!Posted by University of North Texas on Friday, September 23, 2016

SCHOLARSHIP WINNER: Congrats to the latest student admitted to UNT, 8-year-old Jordin! We got to surprise her today at...Posted by University of North Texas on Thursday, September 29, 2016

"He pulled out his burlap sack and then he had the rope and whatnot and then he started offering us bananas," said Jaylen Grimes, one of the demonstrators. "A lot of us didn't take it, but I just took (it) as a sign of peace offering and just to show him that just because he's being disrespectful towards me, I won't be disrespectful towards him."

As part of his counterprotest efforts, Rettke held up a sign that said "Lives Matter."

A video posted by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Sep 28, 2016 at 7:54pm PDT

"He's just trying to get a reaction out of us that we're not going to give him. We're bigger than that," said one protestor who held a sign that read "Black Lives Matter (doesn't mean) all lives don't (matter).

Rettke, 18, was escorted from the protest by public safety officers and was later criminally charged by the Johson City Police Department.

Rettke told police he went to the event "in (an) attempt to provoke the protesters."

ETSU President Brian Noland held a press conference Wednesday after seeing video of the incident. He discussed the event during a "community dialogue" on campus.

"I was offended, but I was also saddened," Noland said, calling Rettke's actions "incomprehensible, intolerable and impermissible."

Rettke has been placed on interim suspension from the college.

In a statement, ETSU said Rettke's actions "go against the values" of the school and that the university is a place "where people come first and all are treated with dignity and respect."

The university applauded the protestors for remaining clam despite Rettke's actions.

"We are exceptionally proud of the students who were peacefully participating in the event and the manner in which they exercised restraint, thoughtfulness and strength in the face of inappropriate and offensive behavior," Noland said.

"Of course, it's hard to stay calm because they're doing it because they know they can get under your skin," Grimes told The Johnson City Press. "You've just got to have thicker skin and be the bigger person and just show that ignorance is not going to override your ability to be calm. Because being calm is a lot more difficult than reacting the way they want us to react, which is in a violent stereotypical black way. But we're not all like that."

"We hold no ill towards him," another student, Grant Madison said. "I added him on Facebook and want to speak with him about why he did it."

The letter goes on to acknowledge that the university is committed to "freedom of inquiry and expression" and encourages each student to challenge and broaden their perspectives on issues.

"You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion and even disagreement," the letter read. "At times, this may challenge you and even cause discomfort.

"Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called 'trigger warnings,' we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own."

The University of Chicago is ranked as one of the top and most selective universities in the country. Less than 8 percent of the more than 31,000 people who applied to enter the class of 2020 were accepted by the school, according to The Chicago Maroon.

Most high school seniors have received college acceptance letters by April and must decide which schools they'll attend by May.

For those with more than one offer, the decision can be tough -- especially if you're Brittany Stinson, a graduating senior from Wilmington, Delaware.

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Stinson recently got accepted to five Ivy League schools -- Yale, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth and Cornell -- and Stanford University.

Stanford's acceptance rate for the class of 2020 hit a record low of 4.69 percent -- a lower rate than any of the Ivy League schools. The highest acceptance rate of the schools she was accepted to was at Cornell, where only 13.96 percent of applicants were accepted.

"I'm sort of still in shock. I don't think I've processed everything yet," she told Business Insider.

Stinson, who compared Costco Wholesale to the larger world in her college admissions essay, shared the essay online:

Prompt: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. "Managing to break free from my mother’s grasp, I charged. With arms flailing and chubby legs fluttering beneath me, I was the ferocious two­ year old rampaging through Costco on a Saturday morning. My mother’s eyes widened in horror as I jettisoned my churro; the cinnamon­sugar rocket gracefully sliced its way through the air while I continued my spree. I sprinted through the aisles, looking up in awe at the massive bulk products that towered over me. Overcome with wonder, I wanted to touch and taste, to stick my head into industrial­sized freezers, to explore every crevice. I was a conquistador, but rather than searching the land for El Dorado, I scoured aisles for free samples. Before inevitably being whisked away into a shopping cart, I scaled a mountain of plush toys and surveyed the expanse that lay before me: the kingdom of Costco. "Notorious for its oversized portions and dollar­fifty hot dog combo, Costco is the apex of consumerism. From the days spent being toted around in a shopping cart to when I was finally tall enough to reach lofty sample trays, Costco has endured a steady presence throughout my life. As a veteran Costco shopper, I navigate the aisles of foodstuffs, thrusting the majority of my weight upon a generously filled shopping cart whose enormity juxtaposes my small frame. Over time, I’ve developed a habit of observing fellow patrons tote their carts piled with frozen burritos, cheese puffs, tubs of ice cream, and weight­loss supplements. Perusing the aisles gave me time to ponder. Who needs three pounds of sour cream? Was cultured yogurt any more well­mannered than its uncultured counterpart? Costco gave birth to my unfettered curiosity. "While enjoying an obligatory hot dog, I did not find myself thinking about the ‘all beef’ goodness that Costco boasted. I instead considered finitudes and infinitudes, unimagined uses for tubs of sour cream, the projectile motion of said tub when launched from an eighty foot shelf or maybe when pushed from a speedy cart by a scrawny seventeen year old. I contemplated the philosophical: If there exists a thirty­three ounce jar of Nutella, do we really have free will? I experienced a harsh physics lesson while observing a shopper who had no evident familiarity of inertia's workings. With a cart filled to overflowing, she made her way towards the sloped exit, continuing to push and push while steadily losing control until the cart escaped her and went crashing into a concrete column, 52” plasma screen TV and all. Purchasing the yuletide hickory smoked ham inevitably led to a conversation between my father and me about Andrew Jackson’s controversiality. There was no questioning Old Hickory’s dedication; he was steadfast in his beliefs and pursuits – qualities I am compelled to admire, yet his morals were crooked. We both found the ham to be more likeable–and tender. "I adopted my exploratory skills, fine tuned by Costco, towards my intellectual endeavors. Just as I sampled buffalo­chicken dip or chocolate truffles, I probed the realms of history, dance and biology, all in pursuit of the ideal cart–one overflowing with theoretical situations and notions both silly and serious. I sampled calculus, cross­country running, scientific research, all of which are now household favorites. With cart in hand, I do what scares me; I absorb the warehouse that is the world. Whether it be through attempting aerial yoga, learning how to chart blackbody radiation using astronomical software, or dancing in front of hundreds of people, I am compelled to try any activity that interests me in the slightest. "My intense desire to know, to explore beyond the bounds of rational thought; this is what defines me. Costco fuels my insatiability and cultivates curiosity within me at a cellular level. Encoded to immerse myself in the unknown, I find it difficult to complacently accept the 'what'; I want to hunt for the 'whys' and dissect the 'hows.' In essence, I subsist on discovery."

Incredibly honored and blessed to be officially admitted to Yale, Columbia, The University of Pennsylvania as a Benjamin...Posted by Brittany Stinson on Thursday, March 31, 2016

In what has been called a "fun April Fool's" column, the New York Times identifies Stanford University as the most selective institution of higher education in the country after an announcement that it admitted less than five percent of applicants to the class of 2020.

“We had exceptional applicants, yes, but not a single student we couldn’t live without,” the New York Times reported an anonymous Stanford administrator as saying. “In the stack of applications that I reviewed, I didn’t see any gold medalists from the last Olympics -- Summer or Winter Games -- and while there was a 17-year-old who’d performed surgery, it wasn’t open heart or a transplant or anything like that. She’ll thrive at Yale.”

Last year, the Stanford received a record number of applications -- 42,487 -- and invited less than 2,500 high school seniors to join Stanford’s class of 2019.

The five percent admission rate was a record low until this year's 4.69 percent rate.

“This is the worst thing that has happened to anyone, ever,” Bruni quoted a high school senior from Washington, D.C., as saying. "Whether she accepts an offer of admission from M.I.T. or one from Duke, she’ll defer enrollment and take a gap year to regain her confidence," he wrote, poking fun at the sentiments of discouraged young people and also pointing out the privilege and sense of entitlement stereotypically embraced by many young millennials.

A total of 1,318 high school seniors were accepted to Sanford's newest undergraduate class on Friday. An additional 745 early action students were accepted in December. The 2,063 admits came from a pool of 43,997 applicants, the largest in Stanford’s history. Anoter 3.6 percent of applicants were given a place on Stanford’s waitlist, according to The Stanford Daily. This year's admits come from 50 states and 76 countries.

“We are honored by the interest in Stanford and overwhelmed by the exceptional accomplishments of the students admitted to the Class of 2020,” Richard Shaw, Stanford dean of admissions and financial aid, told the Stanford Report. “Our admitted students reflect the deep and profound diversity of the world in which we live. We believe these students will impact that world in immeasurable ways.”

Though rejecting so many applicants seems like grounds for financial concern, Stanford donors haven't pulled back, the New York Times reported. In fact, the rise in the school's donations might be growin "in tandem with its exclusivity."